Cheesy Spaghetti Pie!

I don't know how you roll at your house, but at mine, we are all big fans of a lot of the shows on Food Network!  Our favorites are The Pioneer Woman, which Ava and I watch together EVERY Saturday morning, Trisha's Southern Kitchen, which we always watch AFTER The Pioneer Woman, and The Best Thing I Ever Made/Ate! 

On one of our lazy Saturday mornings, Ava and I were watching The Best Thing I Ever Made and the topic for this episode was ChEeSE!  One of the chefs said that he made this recipe for his family for years, it's inexpensive, takes only about 20 minutes to make, and it's simple!  Well, for weeks we kept this episode on our DVR, but never made this cheesy recipe.  (Ava and I have this thing that if EVERY recipe in an episode looks good to both of us, we pick one to try to make at home. . .and this was her pick.)  Ava really wanted me to try to make it, so tonight for dinner. . . I tackled it!  I tried to make it just like Marc Murphy. . .but ended up making a few substitutions based on what I had on hand at home.  The original recipe is here, but I'll post it the way I made it!

As far as my official "review" goes. . .it was good.  Not great, not a life changing recipe, nothing that brought me to tears of enjoyment, just good.  I mean essentially it's pasta and cheese. . .how can you go wrong?   I guess what makes it "special" is the crispy, crusty, outer edges of the pie.  That part. . .was  just a pinch life-changing.  Who knew pasta could have such a tasty texture!  I guess, if you're a mac and cheese fan this is right up your alley!  It's our of the "box" and a little bit different.  Pair it with some fresh veggies or a salad and dinner is complete!  This was a good "Meatless Monday" option and I'm sure I'll make it again!

 Cheesy Spaghetti Pie

1 lb of cooked spaghetti noodles (I used thin spaghetti) cooled to room temp.
4 eggs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
6 slices of American cheese
olive oil

1.  Toss together the eggs, parm, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese with some salt and pepper.  I just do this to taste.  We happen to prefer a LOT of pepper around here. 

2.  Toss noodles with egg/cheese mixture.  Here's where it gets just a little gross. . .its' really hard to do this with a spoon or utensil. . . so I washed up and used my hands!

3.  Over medium heat, heat about two TBSP of oil in a large SKILLET (this is not baked, all done on the stovetop!)  Toss in about half of the noodles. 

4.  Top noodles with the six slices of cheese.  Just layer or arrange them to cover most of the noodles. 

5.  Add the rest of the noodle mixture to the top.  Keeping heat medium/high cook it in the skillet for about 6 minutes.  Here's the tricky part:  you have to flip it over.  There is a method to this!  I cover the skillet with a plate, and turn the pasta out onto the plate. . .then put the pasta (uncooked side down) back into the pan and cook for another 6 minutes!  When it's done, just turn it onto a plate again!  Let it cool for about then minutes and then use a serrated knife to cut it into wedges!

 See!  It's just like a pie!  A great, big, cheesy, noodley, pie!  Cut it up, plate it up, serve it up, and enjoy!